The collection is available by appointment for research. Researchers must register
and provide two forms of valid photo identification. Please contact botref@oeb.harvard.edu
for additional information.

Other related material at the Botany Libraries, Harvard University Herbaria:

Merritt Lyndon Fernald papers. Contains a draft for a revision of Asa Gray's "Field,
forest and garden botany" on which Fernald and Robinson collaborated, but which was
never published; also contains bibliographic notes for the 7th edition of "Gray's
Manual of Botany."

Charles Alfred Weatherby papers. Contains notes by Robinson and Weatherby pertaining
to ferns in the 8th edition of "Gray's Manual of Botany."

Administrative correspondence of the Gray Herbarium and Harvard University Herbaria,
1890-1965. Much of this correspondence is Robinson's.

Benjamin Lincoln Robinson was born on November 8, 1864, in Bloomington, Illinois,
the youngest of eight children of James Harvey and Latricia Maria Robinson (née Drake).
He attended public school and Illinois Normal School before entering Williams College
in 1883. Dissatisfied with the opportunities at Williams, Robinson transferred to
Harvard College in 1884 and graduated three years later. Shortly after graduation
Robinson married Margaret Louise Casson. The couple traveled to Europe and settled
in Strasbourg, France, where Robinson began graduate studies with Hermann zu Solms-Laubach
in the fall of 1887. He received a Ph.D. in 1889 and returned to Cambridge, Massachusetts
in 1890 to take a position as assistant to Sereno Watson at the Harvard University
Herbarium at the Harvard Botanic Garden.

After Watson's death in 1892 Robinson became curator of the herbarium, a position
he retained for nearly the rest of his life. He was appointed Asa Gray Professor of
Systematic Botany in 1899 but was never active in teaching, focusing instead on his
responsibilities as curator. Much of his energy was directed at completing the work
started by his predecessors. He published two fascicles of Asa Gray's "Synoptical
Flora of North America" in 1895 and 1897, and collaborated with Merritt Lyndon Fernald
on the seventh edition of "Gray's New Manual of Botany," published in 1908.

Robinson also oversaw the separation of the herbarium from the Botanic Garden and
the organization of the Gray Herbarium in 1897. He attempted to have a new herbarium
building constructed but was unsuccessful, eventually settling for reconstructing
the building at the Botanic Garden. He did much of the design work himself and the
construction was completed in 1915. Robinson was also responsible for establishing
and growing a permanent endowment for the Gray Herbarium.

Robinson was a founding member of the New England Botanic Club and served for 30 years
as editor of the Club's journal "Rhodora." He published over 200 scientific papers
in his lifetime. He took an active role in the discussions of nomenclature at International
Botanical Congresses and traveled to Europe several times to participate in congresses
and visit herbaria. Robinson was in poor health for the last few years of his life
and was further weakened by the death of his wife in 1932. He died on July 27, 1935,
at his summer home in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

Series I. Notebooks primarily contain notes from Robinson's visits to European herbaria
in 1905, 1910, and 1927-1928; one notebook contains notes on American herbaria visited
in 1916. Series II. Plant notes consist of a ledger book list of plants collected in southern
New Hampshire and southern Vermont, and a book containing labels for Robinson's 1894
collections in Newfoundland.Series III. Manuscript material includes notes on Leguminosae for the unpublished
3rd fascicle of "Synoptical Flora of North America," drafts on Eupatorium intended
for "Das Pflanzenreich," notes on the Cocos Island flora possibly intended to expand
Robinson's "Flora of the Galapagos Islands" (including a hand-drawn map of the island
by Henri François Pittier and a portion of manuscript by William Gilson Farlow), a
draft of a talk delivered to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in the winter
of 1918-1919, and a number of keys and other manuscripts pertaining to Eupatorium.
Manuscripts appear to have been carefully reviewed by Robinson. Many bear notes indicating
why they were retained. There are no manuscripts of published works. Series IV. Gray's Manual revision material contains correspondence and notes pertaining
to corrections of the 7th edition of Asa Gray's "New Manual of Botany." Series V. Diplomas and membership certificates and related correspondence.Series VI. Original artwork contains one pencil drawing.

Scope and Contents: Includes manuscript labeled "Proof underscored by Harms, 1905." Also contains typed
drafts of Ophryosporus, Helogyne, Phania, Ageratell, Decachaeta, Trichocoronis, Oaxacania,
Carphochaete, Eupatoriastrum and Piqueria. There is a carbon of the final copy and
a folder labeled "Copied ms" containing manuscript, pencil, and ink drafts. A note
surrounding whole set said: "continuation of this work was found not to be feasible
until various preliminary revisions had been made working up Eupatoriums, Mikanias,
etc. from special regions."

Scope and Contents: Note at beginning says: "This manuscript started on Nov. 1924 but given up as not
feasible at the time. B.L.R. 1935." Flora of Cocos Island: notes for an unpublished
work that seems to have been intended to expand Robinson's "Flora of the Galapagos
Islands" (1902).

Scope and Contents: Correspondence pertains to collections made by Henri François Pittier on Cocos Island
in 1902. Contains 1 letter from Hermann Christ, 1902 May 16; 1 letter from Alfred
Cogniaux, 1904 January 22; 2 letters from William Gilson Farlow, 1903 September 11
and 1908 June 23; 1 letter from Henri François Pittier, 1902 September 26. Also includes
a list of loaned plants with a note of receipt by Pittier, 1903; a hand-drawn map
of Cocos Island by Pittier; and specimen identifcation notes in pencil, in Robinson's
handwriting, on 5 sheets of newsprint.

Scope and Contents: Includes note stating that manuscript of H. Pittier on Cocos Island sent to him 1910
May 9, at his request. Similar but not identical to those sections in Robinson's Flora
of the Galapagos Islands.

12. Box 2, Folder 11Cocos Island draft and notes

Scope and Contents: Contains loose notes on plants of Cocos Island, a section of a draft with pages numbered
0-20, and notes that appear to be addenda to the draft.

Scope and Contents: Manuscript of a paper by Robinson delivered before the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences. Additional cover note: "Not otherwise published and of no value except as
including popular illustrations of practical value of plant classification." 12 pages,
typed.

Scope and Contents: Two typed manuscripts with different notations, 12 pages and 14 pages; one handwritten
list entitled "[Recension] of Central American Species of Eupatorium, Sep. 26, 1929",
2 pages.

Scope and Contents: Contains a description of Kanimia Gardner, 3 pages, and "Grounds for the Reduction
of Kanimia" manuscript, 12 pages.

24. Box 3, Folder 5Stevia manuscripts

Scope and Contents: Contains "The Stevias of Uruguay" manuscript, 1 page; "Key to the Uruguayan Species
of Stevia" typed manuscript, 1 page; "Stevias of Uruguay" list, 1 page; and "Key to
the Stevias of Brazil" typed manuscript, 8 pages

25. Box 3, Folder 6"A provisional Key to Stevia, Prepared as an aid to study at foreign herbaria during
the journey planned for the summer of 1927"

Scope and Contents: Additional title page note: "This key, drawn up very hurriedly and merely as an aid
to further study, has in most of its distinctions been superseded by far more carefully
drawn keys in my revisions of Stevias of Argent., Paraguay, N. Am., Colombia, Venez.,
Ecuad., Peru + Boliv. It should not be published under any circumstances. B.L. Robinson
12 Oct. 1934", 34 typed pages with pencil annotations, bound.

Series: IV. Gray's Manual revision material

26. Box 3, Folders 7-8Correspondence and notes pertaining to corrections of the 7th edition of Gray's Manual
of Botany

Scope and Contents: Contains certificates pertaining to Robinson's studies at Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität
in Bonn, Germany, and Kaiser-Wilhelm-Universität in Strasbourg, France (1889), and
correspondence and certificates pertaining to awards and memberships in various societies
(1891-1934). Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Contents: Contains a certificate of admission to Harvard College (1884), salary notices (1890-1905)
and appointments (1891-1900), and two letters of election to Harvard clubs (1906,
1931).

28. Box Shared Oversize 1, Certificates and diplomas Date: 1878-1924

Scope and Contents: Includes a diploma from public school in Bloomington, Illinois (1878), two certificates
from Kaiser-Wilhelm-Universität (1887, 1889), and five certificates of membership
to various societies. Arranged chronologically.

29. Box Flat File, Large certificates and diplomas Date: 1887-1934

Scope and Contents: Contains Harvard undergraduate degree (1887); two copies of Ph.D. from Kaiser-Wilhelm-Universität
(1889); honorary degree from the National University of La Plata, Argentina (1934),
and three certificates of membership to various societies.